Living Time Machine
by MitternachtWuten
Summary: It has been some time after the Eurasia Colony incident. X is seemingly alone in his fight for peace and justice, until a sudden discovery is made. But not just any discovery, it will be one to change his life. AU based on Dr. Facer's "Relic From The Seas". Rated T for some language and violence. Cover image made by me.
1. 0: PROLOGUE

**A/N: Hello all! It's me, back again with a new fic. I felt inspired by a story I recently read called "Relic of The Seas" by Dr. Facer and I enjoyed it alot! With their permission, I was able to write my own spin on the take of X meeting Splash Woman.** **As the summary somewhat explains, this takes place after X5, specifically the good ending. Which means poor X is all alone...hopefully he will gain a new friend!**

 **This one will definitely be an interesting ride throughout, I promise.**

 **I hope you will all enjoy it! Please don't forget to R &R and check out Dr. Facer's original!**

 **~MW**

* * *

 **0: PROLOGUE**

 _Boring work...as usual…_

Thought a so far nearly 3-year veteran of the outpost, his mind completely dull from the menial tasks he was assigned to. When he said he wanted to join this division, this is not what he had in mind! The Reploid dreamed of bigger things like finding a cure to the Maverick Virus, or even human diseases, perhaps even creating the next big "green" energy source that will last for centuries! Creating new Reploids too, perhaps!

But no.

Here he was.

Stuck on a deserted island out in the middle of Freezing Nowhere, Russia.

Watching fish swim through the eyes of a marine mechaniloid he was piloting remotely.

And it was all because he wasn't smart enough for the things he wanted to do. Too stupid for the big work. Or, as that test proctor put it: "not qualified".

His position was something of a paradox. On the one hand, he was smart enough to get into the research division. But on the other, he wasn't intelligent enough for the _real_ grind. This position as a pilot may earn him recognition in the Hunters Division, but for Research? He was a laughing stock. At least, in his eyes he was.

With all this negative thought, it really made him want to go play out in the snow until his core couldn't keep him from freezing anymore. It would at least give him some comfort knowing how he's better than everyone here at _something._ That being: he handles the cold better than most of the Reploids here.

He almost had enough of this snooze-fest and was just about to go on a small break until a bunch of warning signs flashed up on the monitor, making an ear-violating alarm sound. It made him cringe with such intensity that he refocused on his work just to make it stop. He had to hand it to whoever designed this, it sure did grab his attention and reinforce work ethic.

Snapping to the controls, he immediately leaned into the screen and squinted, quickly pushing a button that turned on the high beam floodlights, their light reflecting off metal. And that's when his eyes grew large. It was rare for the system to be notifying him of oncoming objects the mechaniloid could ram into, and even then it was something like a rock or seawall.

But it was rarer for something to be in his way that was made out of a _man-made metal_. How did he know? The answer lied in how the surface reflected the bright light back and nearly blinded him, causing him to shut it off and change to low power. No rock or wall could _ever_ do that. Normally, he would just move around it, but this thing got the cat-killing curiosity stirring within him. Especially as he noted the strange, unnatural form of the object's shape in the dark.

Taking hold of the two joysticks, he made the drone slow into a halt, pushing a button to make it enter in a still, hovering state. Again, he squinted to get a better look, but got nothing.

He took hold of a nob on the console with his finger, and adjusted it, making the light slowly go brighter until he stopped at a luminosity that allowed for better visibility without causing glare. Even in the better light, he could not see the object well.

 _Must be too far…_ , he thought to himself as he pushed the button he pressed earlier and eased the mechaniloid closer, until hitting the brakes and repressing the button again. Moving his finger to a switch, he flicked it, causing the camera to shake a little as it was dislodged from its slot, moving it until he got close enough to the unidentified metal object.

The pure shock and realization in his face told millions of thoughts conveyed in a single mouth gap. He immediately recognized that symbol, squeezing the joystick's trigger in a flash fury as it took multiple pictures. Pushing another key, the machine popped out a disc with the images stored on it. Immediately, he swung his chair out and stood up, startling nearby coworkers.

"Sorry, watch my post for a bit. It's urgent!", he flurried his speech as he slid on his heel and made a mad dash towards another set of offices, setting his eyes on one in particular.

He wasted no time, busting in the door and startling the man who sat calmly on his desk, his hand backing away from the liquid-filled mug as he vocalized his surprise.

"Shit! What do you want?!", he near-angrily shouted from his state of slight fright.

"Colonel Locke, sir! Contact HQ right now! I found something big! Really big! Big enough to get you and HQ's attention!", the employee panted as his hand brought forth suddenly a disc.

"God, what is it this time, Snow?! It better not be like the last time you said that exact same thing!", Locke grumbled as he scrunched his brow at him.

The Reploid definitely looked the part of a colonel, complete with masculine toned face, captain's hat and Reploid-typical fake beard, alongside large golden circular parts which mimicked the buttons of a military jacket. Though while he did not have a fake cloak surrounding his legs, he _did_ have fancy squarish shoulder parts with _real_ , golden cloth tassels hanging off it, all alongside his white color scheme with red and golden highlights.

"Trust me sir, I really mean it this time! Look!", Snow slid the disc over to him, which made the commander snatch it up in annoyance and insert it into his terminal, shaking his head.

Snow always was an interesting fellow. He came out of nowhere, crash landing near the facility like a meteorite, and there was not a single file in any database on him. On top of this, he had a rather strange yet familiar appearance when he first appeared, donning a fur collar and sleek armor of white, blue, and black with a yellow core on his helmet. And to boot, he was an amnesiac who couldn't even recall who or where he was. But Locke took on him anyway, not only as a courtesy to keep him off the streets and give him purpose, but also because he saw some kind of potential in him, even getting to the point of conducting repair on him despite his strange architecture that was very much unfamiliar.

However, that was then. Nowadays, Snow was a lot different. Though some features remain unchanged such as his chest armor and boots, there was a lot that had to be changed due to his rather high state of disrepair and damage done by the collision. The biggest by far had to be his head, his face now that of most standard male Reploids (he still had those piercing green eyes with white pupils though), and his helmet being a lot more basic too. Now, it was a helmet that was a lot less rounded on the sides, with rectangular blue ear pieces that connected to the white, circular standard ones and wrapped around the back of his head, the pieces extending out from the helmet onto the sides of his cheeks. On the top was a more rounded piece that seemed to be on a separate level from the base helmet, evident from the elevation of it and the pointed extrusion on the back that melded back into the base helmet in a rounded way. Replacing his original crystal helmet core was a plain black cover in a shape of a rounded upside-down triangle that was made of the same metal as the rest of the helmet. Extending slightly from the core was a singular large stripe of blue which ran all the way to the back of the extrusion.

His forearm guards were replaced with dull spares that didn't differ much from the others besides its blue stripe down the middle and cuff pieces with an extended hand guard, his right one containing two conspicuously traced spots on the top most part of the downward curving guard. If anyone had a half a working processor in this center, they would know that was for his weapons system, the spots acting as trap doors. It was a sort of buster that extended from said cuff via two small barrels with an extending handle to steady his aim. As for what was fired from there, no one knew, not even himself.

Yes indeed, Snow was quite the enigma.

And yet despite all the efforts to keep him, and all the work that was necessary to repair Snow, Locke sometimes began to doubt those initial thoughts he had as he watched the Reploid's strange quirk of rubbing the fur collar of his. A nervous habit he noticed Snow had picked up along with his rather submissive and shy personality early on ever since his completed repairs. Taking a deep breath, he inserted the disc against his better judgement and pressed a few keys, watching as a myriad of images popped up on his display.

"Jesus, kid! Only press it _once_!", he chided.

"I'm sorry!", he immediately replied. "But t-trust me! There's a reason why!"

Groaning aloud, he stared until the flickering of images stopped, producing one last image that seemed to be the clearest of them all. Probably the first shot he took. Leaning into the screen, he rubbed his chin. Thankfully, that hand on his jaw kept it from dropping completely to the floor.

"That symbol...you!", he jerked to Snow's direction, pointing his finger and slamming his other hand on his desk. "Inspect this further and provide detailed pictures and analysis on my desk by 11:59:59 PM tonight! I've got a call to make!"

"Y-y-yes sir!"

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

 _3 days later..._

"We've got a possible Maverick situation in the city, Sector Alpha Kilo 112! He hasn't hurt anyone but he's holed up and holding hostages that are a mixture of Reploids and humans!.", Alia reported into her headset as she typed away frantically at her terminal, processing the information before her. "That's all the information I have on the backup request. It seems urgent if the description is that minimal.", she huffed.

X, somewhere else within the city on a Ride Chaser, touched the black earphone part of his helmet, which reacted to his touch and activated to his comms. "Roger, Alia! I'll be on my way as fast as possible. Send me the coordinates."

"10-4, X!", she smirked, his neverending will to help innocents even after a hard day of work never ceasing to amuse her. It's no wonder X was such a valuable hunter in their ranks alongside Zero. "There, sent! I'll notify them that you're on the way. They'll brief you when you arrive, I'm sure."

X concentrated as he sharply turned the Ride Chaser bike in the opposite direction, avoiding any traffic as he moved to the other highway, boosting the Chaser in sort of wheelie to gain speed quickly. "Got it. Thanks, Alia!"

"No problem. Good luck, X!", she smiled as she went back to focusing on the data on her terminal, ending communications.

Meanwhile, as X continued on, he let one of his hands off a handle, lightly ghosting his fingers over the holstered saber handle on his side. "Watch over me, Zero.", he remarked as his grip returned to the empty spot, revving the engine as he sped off in the dawning sunlight.

* * *

 **A/N: This Snow fellow sounds familiar...but who is he? Guess we'll find out sooner or later, right?**


	2. 1: EUREKA

**A/N: Here's the second chapter. I've been reading some of the reviews so far and I'm glad you're all interested in this and wanting to see it continue! Big thanks guys.**

 **Always remember to R &R so I can improve in my writing!**

 **~MW**

* * *

 **1: EUREKA**

"I swear to God, man! Stay back or I'll do it!"

The Reploid commanded, his grip shaky as he kept a pistol close to a Reploid woman's head. He managed to keep her in a hold that would discourage X from firing for fear of missing his mark and harming an innocent. This made the crowd of other hostages murmur in panicked tones, their hopes silent that X would pull through and save them.

The blue Maverick Hunter glazed over the figure before him, noticing the trembling hands. Clearly, this Reploid hasn't killed before and hasn't gone Maverick either. If he truly was, his grip would be a lot less shaky. X decided to take advantage of this and attempt to talk him down.

"It's ok, alright? I'm not gonna hurt you, sir. I just wanna talk.", he held out his hands in a reassuring gesture as he slowly made a step forward. "Whatever is going on, I can help you. Just put the gun down, and let the woman go."

The Reploid and his hostage stepped back as his grasp hardened on the pistol to stabilize it. "Like hell you aren't! You're a Maverick Hunter!", he shouted, the woman gasping and nearly screaming as he tightened his hold on her. "You must think I'm a Maverick, huh?! Is that why you're here?!"

"No, I don't!", X denied, his voice still soft, displaying his calm and soft nature. "I just want save you and these people! Don't do anything you might regret. Please…", he attempted to reason with the slightly on-edge Reploid.

His opponent seemed to divert his head to the ground shamefully. Was that a tinge of regret? Yes! X was getting somewhere!

"I don't think you wanna hurt others. Someone put you up to this, didn't they?"

No response. Not even a single movement.

"I don't want you to be taken advantage of. I'll stop whoever's taken an innocent like you and forced you to do something you wouldn't dream of.", he took another step forward. The Reploid didn't notice, which propelled X to take another step.

Unfortunately, however…

"You're a liar! You're all liars!", he snapped up, clutching both the weapon and hostage tightly. X's heart sank at the sight and at his voice. He knew those eyes. He knew that tone.

He was too late.

The target went completely Maverick.

His fist and teeth clenched in defeat. _How could this have happened?!_ , he almost cried on the inside. _I thought we rid ourselves of Sigma's curse! Damn it all!_

He could almost hear Zero's confidence-endowing voice in this moment. " _You tried your best X, but this won't work anymore! Go for it!"_

The rest was just a blur, a slow-motion segment in the movie of his life. As the Reploid continued his crazed babble, he then threw the woman down in a brash move and aimed the pistol right at her. Immediately, X reached for his waist and dashed swiftly towards his target, his hand closing around the Z-Saber, he activated it and pulled it from the holster. Taking advantage of the Reploid's vulnerability, he started making a slashing movement upwards as he eventually reset to standing position with a small hop after his dash finished. The gun, now sliced in half and functionally useless, made it easy for X to apprehend him.

Using the momentum he gained, he grabbed the Reploid by the shoulders, tripped him from behind with his right leg, and slammed him hard into the ground. Temporarily dazed, he then used the chance to get a grapple on the target, immediately pulling out magnetic cuffs and snatching them onto both of his hands with a click and a buzz sounding off.

Getting up to a crouch, with his hand firmly placed on his back, X panted slightly and shortly, his systems still reeling back from the rush he experienced. Putting a hand to the side of his helmet, he spoke into the comms.

"This is Captain X reporting. I've neutralized and detained the fugitive. No hostages harmed. Send a team up so we can secure him and everyone else up here.", he called with a hint of dejection.

It was always like this in similar situations over the past couple of years. X attempted to solve the problem nonviolently, as his pacifist ways dictated. But no matter what he did, it ended badly. Today was one of the few exceptions where no one, not even the suspect, was harmed. X was at least glad that happened, but it still bothered him. He had a chance to possibly convince him out of it, so he could live peacefully and view the outside world as it is.

Not now, however. Now, he was going to be coming from the perspective of either a sealed door, or electrified bars. Even worse, if he showed no signs of recovery, he would be decommissioned. X let out a shaky sigh at the thought, wiping his eyes away of any small tears that could have formed from the introspective.

In an attempt to clear his mind of the melancholic thoughts, he turned to the view outside of the skyscraper window, seeing the late morning sun shine brilliantly. His eyes squinted as the oculars adjusted properly to the light within a single blink. Another blink went off along with his blank yet surprised expression.

 _How long have I been on a patrol shift?_ , he thought to himself. _Maybe I should rest a bit..._

He was then soon thrusted out of his trance at the loud barking of a local squad leader. "Copy that, X! Sending up multiple squads now!"

He drifted off back into space at the sound of mechanical footsteps.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

X relaxed in the capsule, keeping his eyes closed as if to take a "nap" while the medic ran analyses on him. The warm glow of the scanning equipment was something he always found oddly satisfying. If it was possible for him to sunbathe under it, he would.

"You got no signs of any damage, both internal and external. Systems are nominal and power core is at 100%", the doc smiled as she turned off her equipment, taking off the examination mask that covered her eyes completely. "You're getting better, X. At this rate, you'd surpass Z-."

The doctor immediately cut herself off and gained a saddened look on her face as she instantly remembered the crimson hunter's fate not too long ago. X however smiled, and opened his eyes, getting up as the cords of the capsule popped off his person with the exact sound, then rotating to meet the doctor.

"It's alright. I know he'd be laughing at that remark.", his face then molded into a happily reminiscent kind as he came out of the capsule, grabbing the saber off the side table and putting it back in his holster. "He'd probably challenge me at simulations in an attempt to prove you wrong.", he chuckled.

"Man, you sure got over it quick. I'm jealous. Some of us still struggle with his loss.", she admitted, rubbing her upper arm as she averted her gaze to the floor. She then shifted as she rested one arm on the terminal, her other propping up for her chin to be placed on her palm. "What's your secret?"

"Well, I've been close friends with Zero for a long time. Knowing him, he wouldn't want me moping around over him when there's work to be done. He'd want me to keep going for my dream.", X responded to the Reploid nurse. "I would ask the same of him, if he was the one to go.", he shifted and began to head out of the medical bay when the doctor called out.

"Oh, wait, wait!", she frantically flailed her hands to grab his attention.

He halted in his tracks and spun around to face her. "Yes?"

"I just remembered now! Signas wanted to see you in the mission control room after you were done here. He said it was important.", she propped up from her seat to a full stand.

"Really? I thought I already went through debriefing.", he raised a brow. "I even filed out my report before I got here."

"Oh, no, no, no! Of course not! This is something different!"

"Something...different?", he repeated, now quite intrigued to find out what Signas wanted him for. For a moment, he wondered if it was something related to Zero. It couldn't be, could it? He then hurried as much as he could down the hall without breaking into a run as he exited the medical bay.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

The door made a swish as it opened horizontally, the man of the hour entering into the mission control room.

"Ah, X. Glad you made it.", Signas nodded as X entered the control room, the latter spotting the blonde navigator typing away at a laptop device. "We have great matters to discuss."

"I heard.", he confirmed, taking a seat next to Alia, his eyes not leaving Signas for single second. "What's going on?"

"You know of Light capsules, correct?", Signas questioned as he stood tall and proud before the two.

X blinked and nodded a couple of times. Guess his earlier assumption was wrong. "Yea, Dr. Light's armor enhancement capsules. Of course I know them. What about it?"

"Well...not exactly that kind, but one of our outposts managed to find one.", he swung around, facing away from a perplexed X and towards a giant screen, which displayed information such as maps and images on it in a presentation. All of it thanks to Alia, who was furiously clicking the keys on her portable terminal like a madman to make it all happen. "They're a research division currently stationed at a highly advanced center in the coast of Okhotsk, Russia. What they do is use a variety of remote piloted mechaniloids to observe what's in the nearby waters. Plate tectonics, unnatural changes in the ecosystem, and even sometimes possible Mavericks for specialized reploids who work in those waters. They also conduct various experiments centered around marine specializations for Reploids."

"If you remember, there was another type of Light capsule.", Signas continued as his ocular sensors tracked and processed all the info appearing on-screen, X doing the same. He was then pointing to a specific image that remained, which X directed his attention to.

"Yea. The one I came out of when Dr. Cain found me.", the Maverick Hunter nodded, curiously closing in his concentration on the image out of bewilderment.

"Well, you see the image, right? They found another one just like that on the ocean floor in the Sea of Okhotsk. My colleague Colonel Locke called in about it a few days back, and they contacted me again to let me know they just finished excavating it yesterday and are currently about to wrap up their analysis.", as he mentioned the name, a picture of him from the official records appeared, alongside a strange yet vanilla looking Reploid. "That's one of the researchers who works under him, a mechaniloid drone pilot named Snow. He was the one who spotted and reported it to Colonel Locke, and was the one who provided us with the information you saw here."

He turned around to see a completely enamored X and an exhausted Alia sprawled out on the conference table. Judging from the reflection in his opticals, the hunter was now focused on Snow, his facial expression displaying a mix of emotions telling something was off about him. Especially on his face.

"Right. Well...what did they discover in that capsule? Another one of Dr. Light's creations or just more weapons?", he asked, his head swiveling around to meet Signas.

"That's for me to guess, and you to find out."

X was taken aback. Signas was usually the type to gain information on everything first, refusing to let in on any secrets, as a commander should. "Huh?"

"X, I'm sending you over to Okhotsk. I think you'll want to see what's in there for yourself. Locke and his team are waiting for you before they crack open the capsule.", Signas put forward, making X more surprised by the seconds. "That will be your mission currently. Go there and find out what they found. You know Light more than any of us, even if your knowledge is very little, so you'll be the most useful for them."

"B-but...what about the others?! What if a Maverick attacks?", X sputtered, concerned for the safety of his fellow hunters.

He then felt a warm, reassuring hand on his shoulder, reacting with a slight jump and pink face to see Alia comforting him. "Don't worry X. We can hold down the fort without you for a day or two.", her hand then came off as she stared a bit, face turning a light hue of pink at the realization of what just happened and his own blush.

The last creation of Dr. Light let out an audible sigh. "Ok, if you say so. I'll do it. Teleport me out."

"Er...about that…", the blonde navigator sheepishly rubbed the back of her head to which X cracked his head in wonder.

"Winter in Russia, X. Lots of snow storms have been occuring in the area recently. It's too risky.", Signas noted.

"What? But I've been to all kinds of cold areas like that to take down Mavericks before. Chill Penguin, Frost Walrus, Blizzard Buffalo. The X-Hunters' base was in the North Pole!", he pointed out to the commander who simply nodded.

"Yes, but the storms have been oddly severe recently due to strange weather phenomenons. Plus, visibility is extremely low and so are the temperatures. We can't have you freezing and lost out there. So you'll be taking one of the modified Bee Bladers there. And don't worry, I reserved the best pilot and fastest copter for you.", Signas donned a light smile at a visibly relieved X that he wouldn't be gone long. He always hated abandoning his duty for long periods of time, something Signas knew ever since the aftermath of the Eurasia incident when he returned.

"Ok. Thank you, sir!", X stood and saluted, to which Signas and Alia returned the favor.

"Alia will keep communications with you over low frequency radio channels. They're the only signals that can pierce through the blizzards. When it's clearer, we'll be sure to contact you via video call if possible. That is all. Move out!"

"Yes, sir!", the two replied in unison as they headed off to their respective stations.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

X looked up as a tone sounded off within the tight confines of the Bee Blader. A lighted symbol shone, which X understood immediately as his hand held onto a handle next to his seat.

"Captain X, we're nearing the site! Better hold on tight, real bad blizzard's been blowing for a while. Things are about to get rocky!", the female pilot called over the intercom of the aircraft, her speech concise as a pilot should.

His clutch on the seat handle only tightened when he hard those words. "Entering troposphere in 3...2...1…"

The Bee Blader suddenly shook with the force of a earthquake as the harsh snowstorm almost nearly tossed it off course. The pilot scrambled to turn on stabilizer systems as the raging tempest blew with the force of a low level hurricane. Thankfully for X, who almost flew off his seat and crashed against the wall, it ended and soon it dulled to light wiggles. As if in unison, the two aboard the ship let out a heavy breath in pure relief.

"We're closing in on the heliport, Captain X! Be on the ready to move fast."

He nodded as his systems ran a subroutine to make himself heat up for the soon-to-endure blistering cold. Noting that the craft was slowing to an eventual full stop and lowering down, whirs sounding off as the landing gear came out, X stood prepared before the hatch door.

"Landing complete. Cracking the egg now!", she called out as she pressed a button, making the door hiss as its sealing mechanism released, letting in a small tinge of a harsh breeze of icy air. X nearly shivered, even as his systems were working double time to keep him warm. Just what kind of "weather phenomenon" was going on here?

As the door finally popped fully down, creating a ramp rather suddenly, the two Reploids then soon felt the oncoming full-bore blast of frigid winds. X rushed out to greet two Reploids in white who lightly put their hands on him in an effort to guide him.

"This way, sir, quickly! The storm's gotten real bad lately and we don't know when it will clear!"

As the trio ran in the same direction, X too yelled over the loudness of blowing gusts. "What about the pilot? I don't think she can lift off again at this rate!"

"Don't worry, we got 'er covered! She's moving into the indoor hangar as we speak!", one of them replied with a hint of an accent.

The three then entered an automatic door of squarish building, which suddenly slammed shut behind them when its sensor no longer detected the three in its vicinity. X nearly jumped at the suddenness of it.

"Don't worry. Round these parts, doors like that are a necessity. Now come on, let's go to the capsule."

The blue hunter nodded as he followed the two, relaxing under the warmth of the facility as his subroutines ended the heating protocol to the sound of an automated voice ringing about the appearance of a guest and of the weather status. It indicated that it would clear shortly, which X found to be comforting. Looks like he could video call back to HQ.

Taking a stroll through the laboratories as he followed the two, X took the opportunity to admire the building and see the sights around him. The clean white look of the interior (and even the exterior he noted) definitely screamed scientific and modern, what with the shiny floors of pearl and walls just as sterile and clean. Lining the floors were black matte plates of electronics, lighting up with occasional symbols like arrows or warning signs. Labs, desk cubicles, and large, state-of-the-art terminals lined the wide open space in a neat, organized fashion. Clearly, someone took pride with their architectural and interior design.

Amongst this neat aesthetic, he spotted something that stuck out like a sore thumb, instantly recognizing it from his briefing. Ahead of him was the very same capsule he was sent to investigate. As if the large gray metallic machinery wasn't enough to make it stand out, there was a rather large flurry of workers surrounding it and running about like bees in a hive to various work stations. Though to X, one figure definitely stood out among the rest, this person having that same stance he recognized as that of a leader.

"Locke.", he remembered aloud as they arrived at the scene, the subject in question turning in on his heel in a complete 180 as heard his name. Now directly making contact with the hunter, he smiled warmly.

"Ah, welcome X. I suppose the trip was good?", his welcoming smile turned to a cheeky grin.

"I'm just glad it was quick when it needed to be, sir.", he mused, not too fond of nearly being launched off his seat.

Locke let out a hearty laugh as he stepped up closer to the blue Maverick Hunter. "That's the weather 'round here for ya. Well anyways, I'm happy you made it. Trust me X, we're about to make the discovery of a lifetime.", he rotated around to allow X a better view of the capsule. "As I'm sure Signas told you, we conducted some analysis and managed to defog the glass as best we could, and you won't believe what we found!"

Locke walked forward while X followed suit, his pure inquiring mood shining through his face. With light hand gestures, murmuring workers separated as if they were the Red Sea, watching intently as the two stepped up to the staging area where the capsule was atop an elevated platform, connected to myriads of cables for different purposes, it also being lined at its sides with monitors indicating various statuses.

"What's with all this?", he inquired, his finger waving around at everything that surrounded the capsule.

"See for yourself.", he openly invited X to explore, extending his flattened hand out towards it.

This was an offer he took gladly, hopping up onto the platform excitedly and placing his hands on the cool metal, running them over its slightly rusted form, especially over the recognizable symbol of Thomas Light. X touched every surface, every edge, every corner as his face closed in, following wherever his hands lead him.

As he inspected it all around before even thinking to peek through the glass, Locke took the opportunity to inform him of other matters. "I'm sure you're aware of Snow's responsibility for this. I admit, had it not been for him, we probably would have never found it. Now, it might look clean now, but when it was first recovered, it was all rusted and discolored. Had these nasty barnacles all over it too. But thanks to my staff, we managed to clean it and restore power to it since its generator fizzled out."

X continued to silently gloss over it, taking in Locke's speech at the same time. "It wasn't as lucky as yours was to have a nearby power source if it ran out, since well...it was submerged miles down under freezing waters. But you know, it's surprisingly resistant. After all, it managed to survive all these years under a sea in northernmost hemisphere."

As he finished, X came back full circle to where he started: in front of the capsule, staring at the angled glass window connected to its door. He took the time to marvel at it before Locke interrupted his stupor.

"Now then, how about you see the real attraction here?", his hand lay flat as he held it out towards the large object once more, this time the gesture ending much quicker as his hand slapped back onto his side.

X stood hesitant for a second, wondering if he should at all. What if he wasn't prepared for this? The original Mega Man he kept reading about in his system's files could be in there! Or some other piece of technology from when Dr. Light was alive! He considered at least waiting until the workers were finished with whatever they were doing to see what lay behind that glass. He then shook his head to erase his doubts.

 _No, I have to see. This could be my chance to learn about the old world and my creator. I can't let this slip by me!_ , he internally decided, getting even closer to the capsule than he already was. His hand rested upon the glass as he leaned in to see what was behind it. And at the sight, his eyes nearly bulged.

"No way!", he suddenly rushed his other hand on it as he nearly flattened his face on the glass. "But I thought…"

In it, lay not a small blue boy who looked like X, but a woman of the same color who slept deeply. Her helmet was a deep blue, like his, but her crystal core was of a bright yellow and the shape bit different. Extending from left direction were whiteish extrusions that looked like the ends of ocean waves crashing on the shore. She had an upper torso that rounded off a rather noticeable bust with a baby blue color, and white shoulders that were circular, an hourglass-like shape at bottom. From the waist down, she was like a fish- no, specifically, a mermaid, completely with blue scales and a tail end with a giant yellow, crystallic connector piece. How peculiar. X wondered for a moment if this siren could sing as well.

"Wha...what is she? Who is she? Is she...like me?", X asked in blaze of word soup, anxious from the moment. The other creation of Light stood mesmerized by the woman inside the capsule, as if enthralled by either her beauty or sheer existence in this time. All sorts of questions internally formed that he wanted to ask, but none of which could be answered today.

"We did some research in the databanks when we identified her. She is an old Robot Master made by your creator, model number DLN-067. Codename: Splash Woman.", Locke happily answered the first two of his questions in order before moving on to his last one. "As for what she's like...well, we have no clue. This is the first time we managed to uncover a Robot Master this preserved. We imagine she may have feelings as we do, but…"

"But?", X repeated, watching the Colonel intently.

"We suspect she doesn't have much free will, given she's a Robot Master. According to data from that time, she has to follow the Three Laws of Robotics and needs a prime directive programming in order to function properly.", he averted his gaze from X back to the Robot Master. "In fact, if she doesn't have those two, she could go haywire and practically fragment herself over it. Worst case scenario: she goes haywire and tries to kill us all in a rampage."

"That's why you have all this equipment?", X surmised, stunned at the last bit. "To make sure she doesn't go...er...Maverick?"

"For lack of a better term, yes.", he confirmed. "Her lack of legs also presents another problem. If we _do_ open the hatch, she won't exactly be able to move around much without assistance. We considered staging her in water, but we don't exactly have an ideal pool as of now. One of the experiments we had a week ago contaminated it and we're _still_ trying to clean up that mess."

His head lowered a bit in disappointment. "And we sure as hell weren't going to throw her back into the ocean. Not with these blizzards. The water would be freezing cold and could affect her circuits.", Locke let out a loud sigh. "So, it seems for now she'll have to hop around like fish on dry land."

"How long till she's ready?", X blurted out as soon as Locke finished, his palm placed firmly on the glass.

Locke blinked and suddenly grabbed one of the workers walking by on the shoulder, causing him to flinch and nearly drop his tablet. "Y-yes, sir?!", he barked, saluting with his free arm.

"What's the ETA on her activation?"

"0100 hours or less, sir!"

"Good. Dismissed!", he released his hand and the researcher blasted off to his station. "You got yourself an hour, X. Would you like anything while you wait?"

He hummed in thought for a bit. "I want to meet Snow."

"Snow? Well...okay then. Follow me and I'll show you to him.", he then pivoted on his heel and began his prideful march towards the Reploid, with X not too far behind. He found the pause rather peculiar.

 _Maybe Snow's not a favorite of his._ , the hunter surmised from the rather despondent reply.

In the meantime, he began reviewing through his memory banks of all his information so far about Snow. The first and only thing that seemed to pop up was the picture of him from the briefing. There was something about that head of his which was clearly a replacement, and the sleek way he was designed too. There was something that just wasn't right about him. He felt like as if Snow was some kind of existential anomaly.

 _That guy...Snow...just who is he?  
_

* * *

 **A/N: Stay tuned for the next chapter when we get a bit of deeper look into Snow and the anticipated arrival of Splash Woman!**


	3. 2: AWAKENING

**A/N: And here's the third chapter! Life and my personal quality control kinda made this one take longer than usual to publish, especially since I had this one sitting in the backburner waiting. .**

 **But I hope you guys do enjoy this one! Remember to read and review, please! Thanks!**

 **~MW**

* * *

 **2: AWAKENING**

"Snow!"

The Reploid sitting at the desk doing nothing almost felt his A.I. hop out of his body at the sound of Locke bellowing his name. Stroking the fur on his collar, he spun around on his swivel chair and focused his vision up on the two figures in front of him. Of course Locke was there, but so was-

"A-ah, Captain X, sir!", he squeaked nervously as he fumbled up to a hasty and sloppy salute. "Glad you arrived, sir!

"Uh…", X nervously chuckled at the sight of a slightly trembling Snow attempting to keep a respectful posture and speech. "Thanks."

There was a bit of an awkward pause as neither parties knew what to say at this point. One being out of sheer uneasiness and the other being a bit perplexed by the behavior he witnessed. Thankfully, at least someone else was near and paying attention to the conversation's stand still.

"At ease, squirt!", Locke commanded, to which Snow replied by relaxing his posture slightly, the tinge of nervousness still on him.

"Apologies, sir.", he muttered, still stroking the fur.

The Mega Man of the future shook his head and beamed assuringly. "No, it's fine. I understand you're nervous. You're Snow, right?"

"Uh, y-yes sir!", he stammered, making direct eye contact with the legendary hunter. By the impression X was now getting at the moment, he was internally struggling to hold it without darting his eyes somewhere else.

"Well, nice to meet you. I'm glad you found that capsule and notified us.", he happily replied, a proud grin on his face.

"Thank you, sir! It's an honor, sir!", the drone pilot's voice finally managed to work up enough courage to smooth out and not crack every few words.

He simply shook his head at his constant manners. Seems he wouldn't be able to get the kid to chill out. Disregarding his habit, X continued the conversation. "So where are you from anyways, Snow? You don't look like you're from these parts."

"Oh! Uh...well, about that…", his stature shrunk as he pushed his gaze to his hands and began fiddling with his fingers before once again moving to touch the fur again.

"He doesn't know anything about himself.", Locke interrupted and bluntly put it. "And we don't either. Not a single file in any world database about him. We even tried to scan his DNA and his Soul."

"And it turned up nothing?"

"Nope."

"Weird. Well, Snow, what about now? Forget the past and tell me about yourself.", X turned to him, reassuring and calm smile on his face.

Snow clearly displayed his discomfort in talking about himself like this. He preferred not to think about how odd and different he was, nor about his lack of memory. He attempted to shut out the debacle earlier about him that was happening next to him, but to no avail. It especially wasn't going to work as X caught on pretty quickly and redirected the conversation to him. Timidly, he was about to speak up.

"Um…", he mumbled, staring down at his feet as he twisted a robotic ankle on the floor in another nervous habit.

Looking back up, he took a deep breath and began. "Well...I've been working here for almost 3 years as a drone pilot. I mainly monitor any patterns in the oceans. So...if there's any marine-type Reploids going Maverick or if any tsunamis are about to happen, I'm the one who finds it out before it can hurt anyone."

"Your role must be an important one, huh?", X continued the conversation while Locke decided to refocus his own attention on monitoring his workers.

"It...kinda is but…"

"But what?"

Locke seemed to face his "ear", or well, his auditory sensors towards the conversation, still under the guise of watching his men. It seemed he was about to catch a first in his long tenure here: a complaint.

"It's just...I don't wanna do it.", he lowered his voice and then tucked away his hands behind his back.

X tucked his lips and raised a brow. "Why not? I know lots of Hunters would love to be in your position."

"I know…", he had a crestfallen tone. "...but I want to do more than just watch the ocean. It gets boring after a while, even if I'm doing something important."

"Well, what _do_ you want to do?", X asked while Locke glared elsewhere.

 _Like I can find anyone else to be in your position…_ , the commander thought with frustration and a hint of malice, hearing every drop of his complaint. _Should be grateful you're not out getting your circuits frozen solid…when I found you, you were more suited for combat. But you wanted to get in here. You should be thankful you're not in with the grunts._

"I...don't exactly know...but I wanna do some _real_ research. Make new programs and stuff. I even want to make Re-", Snow was about to drone on enthusiastically about his dreams until he was cut off by the sounds of loud Reploid boots connecting with the floor.

Two researchers stomped up to Locke, facing both him and X. "Sirs! We've finished early and are prepared to open the capsule! Splash Woman will soon be booted up!"

"That was quick…", X remarked to himself, noting Snow's strange look of total solace and gratitude, and Locke's pleased smile.

"You'll find my men are quite efficient at what they do. They all got their roles for a reason.", he stated, the last part especially aimed at Snow, his eyes shooting right for him. Snow recoiled back with a downhearted frown.

X spotted this and ping-ponged his eyes between the two, his lips tugging down into a frown of his own. It always bothered him to see workplace bullying like this, especially between two Reploids of differing ranks. Locke clicked his tongue in defeat. X was definitely more clever than suspected. It's no wonder why he was able to defeat a top-of-the-line Reploid such as Sigma five times in a row.

Locke sighed, thinking of a way to avoid a chiding from either X or Signas. He then came to a conclusion. "Alright you two. Let's go. Especially you, X. I want you front and center for this revelation."

"Thanks, Locke.", X smirked, patting Snow on the shoulder comfortably. The drone pilot looked up in awe at the legendary hunter. He couldn't believe it. Did someone actually stand up for him? He felt so warm inside, gaining a hope that maybe he could befriend X, even if the two were in entirely different ballparks in so many ways.

With a gesture from X as he followed Locke, he hurried off in a speedy walk with a fumbling Snow lagging behind him, then catching up to the Colonel.

The event that would change history as we knew it was about to unfold, and X was determined on not missing it.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

If he thought it was packed the last time he was around the capsule, X didn't see nothing yet. This time, there was enough bustle to nearly fill the room past projected capacity. It felt like the entire facility stopped their work to come see a historical moment in the making. The moment where a sufficiently preserved Robot Master is revived with a whole database chock full of things about the world before Reploids, a sort of living time capsule, if you will. So much could be learned from her, this Splash Woman.

However, the one that was the most interested of them all was X. For him, it was a prime opportunity to learn about his creator, his predecessors, and the past relations between machines and humans. He could understand just how much the world had changed since the 100 years he laid in his own capsule. Even better, by learning history, he could adapt the future accordingly, and achieve his dream of peace between humans and Reploids, living together as one.

And for a moment amidst all his earnest cluster of ideas, he wondered how well she would adjust to the modern world. While to him it would have been intriguing to see, it also heavily worried him (a common trait of X). What if Splash Woman adapted terribly to the society of today? She would be viewed as old junk and outcasted. She could go- no. No more worrying. This was Dr. Light who made her. He obviously would have built her to last and change, even if in his final hours he was more concerned about X, himself. Having gained confidence in her, even before she was "alive", he knew he would find out the solutions and answers to these questions soon.

Meanwhile, as he, Locke, and Snow pushed through a murmuring crowd watching intently at the action in front of them, X's anticipation grew after his surge of faith sprouted a spark within him. In an attempt to calm himself, he decided to watch the congregation around him to discover the types that worked here and see how others were feeling. Of course there were the usual scientist Reploids chattering about the event with a gusto similar to his. They were all similar and X grew to notice patterns until he found the black sheep of the crowd: more combat-focused type Reploids equipped with batons at their waist and stating commands, occasionally using their hands to physically direct others. Mainly, he surmised, they were attempting to clear the path for the trio while also keeping the crowd in check. He found it odd that Locke would consider something as rare as riots to happen in this type of event. That was why they were here, right?

To add to the confusion, the blue advanced robot felt a brow raise high as he noticed two lines of three Reploids standing at attention, each brandishing a laser rifle at the ready, lining vertically in front of the capsule, the two groups making a gap inbetween.

X redirected his vision to Locke and whispered to him. "Who are all these Reploids, why are they armed, and why are they here?"

"Security. In case of that worst case scenario I told you about.", he returned in a low voice.

"Isn't this a bit too much? You got a whole Hunter combat unit's worth right here, and maybe even more out there with melee weapons.", the fret dripping from his tone. He really didn't want the event to come to this, but he knew he couldn't just deny the possibility.

"My men's safety is vital, X. I won't lose them over a malfunctioning robot.", he blunted to X, again with the tone that shot down Snow earlier.

Emotionally, X almost reeled back. He commended the Colonel for running such a well-oiled machine here, but what the hell is with that attitude?! It felt like the man was insulting a close friend. Like he was insulting Zero right on his grave. He made a mental attempt to let the words roll off his back, but to no avail. No matter what he tried, he still couldn't get that off his mind. Maybe he would confide in Signas later. Sighing, he decided to keep on his toes and refocus his efforts on Splash Woman and her hallowed return.

Viewing the scene unfold before him, a higher-ranking looking Reploid (but not higher than Locke) walked up to the Colonel, making a small salute. "Sir, all preparations have been finished. Monitoring software is up and she's at full charge. We're ready to boot her up at your command."

His eyes glazing over the team that was working on some terminals, he noted one of them giving a thumbs up in their general direction, eyes still glued to the screen. Locke then directed himself and the Reploid leader to X. "Well?"

He hesitated his response for a bit, still hung up on Locke's straightforward reply. Silently, he hoped the possibility of her going rogue wouldn't happen. Even more so he wished that he wouldn't lose her, with it technically being his fault for giving the green light and dropping his perfect chance for...well, everything he wanted to achieve. Deciding carefully, he finalized his thinking after some time.

 _Might as well roll with the punches and try my best to prevent anything._

"Do it.", he uttered with eyes closed.

"Alright, you heard him. Begin the boot sequence!", the leader of the team called out to them as he rushed to his own post.

It was then that the machinery made loud whirring as power influxed itself to the capsule and many other pieces of equipment running. The team continued to yell out various statuses to keep each other updated as the scanning ran along with her system boots.

"Power source is good!"

"Circuitry is in nominal condition! Everything is connected to each other and sending signals normally."

"Optics are at half capacity...some damage has been done, but they run fine."

"Subroutine systems are online and functional!"

X listened in intently to the callouts of the various team members whilst his vision focused on the process, Locke mimicking the same while Snow peeked over them.

"Interfaces and ports are functional!"

"Net connectivity is green!"

"Begin the final step!"

"OK! About to launch main brain partition and…", the scientist froze for a second with widened eyes before slamming a red button next to him. Suddenly, alarms sounded off to the tune of X's heart sinking and his fear heightening, his own eyes reacting in the same way.

"Crap! The files we installed to replace the corrupt ones, they're not working! Systems are incompatible with hers! She's about launch without the Laws and a directive!"

"Well, cancel it then!"

"Sir, I can't! I've been trying for the past three attempts!"

X's mechanical heartbeat pumped faster and faster as he became more panicked with each statement that was shouted out by the researchers. Locke's face turned grim whilst Snow nervously backed himself away from the mishap, his habit of caressing his collar going off like a madman.

"Oh no…no no no no!"

"What?!"

"Her systems are going nuts and she's almost finished booting! 7 failed attempts to cancel and it's too late! Capsule's releasing lock!"

"Soldiers, line up and take aim!", Locke yelled to which the Reploid soldiers replied swiftly, combining into a single firing line and aiming their guns directly at the capsule in different positions so to avoid any unwarranted friendly fire.

"No…", X mouthed and shook his head as he watched the capsule door open slowly. He could see it all happening slowly. The capsule opening, the soldiers readying their fingers on the trigger, the team members running. In this moment, he had to choose: fight or flight.

So what was his choice?

" **No!"** , his voice rang out in outburst, gritting his teeth as he activated his boots and dashed out in between the firing line, causing them to stumble and dodge roll out of the way. He then jumped up, using the force of his dash to land himself on the platform in front of the opening capsule. He immediately reached for his waist.

"X! What the hell are you doing?!", Locke growled, Snow peeking around his superior's back, once again stunned by X.

A sudden startup noise rang out as his Z-Saber activated, holding it out to his side in a protective manner, the beam of the sword creating a sort of barrier between the capsule and the outside. He viewed the crowd before him in his peripheral, his eyes locked dead-on to an angered Colonel Locke.

"X! Have you gone insane?! Get out of the way now, or I'll label you a Maverick and have my men open fire!"

It was at this time that X had had enough of Locke's antics and low-key (well, now high-key) tempered, crappy attitude. And he seemed so polite at first...but X could smell a phony when he knew one.

"No! You listen to me and give her a chance, Locke! If Light could've made me the way I am and keep me from being a Maverick...", he voiced with a stone cold conviction, turning his head towards the sluggish capsule door which was nearing to be fully opened. "...then I have no doubt he did the same for her!"

"She's a Robot Master, X! Not a Reploid!", Locke fired back at him. "Now, move!"

"And? By technicality, I am too! I just happen to be more advanced.", his eyes became just as solid and clear as the day he finally came back after disappearing for a little while post-fifth Sigma attack. Whenever this happened, it meant he was fully dead set on his word. "Dr. Light must've knew this would have happened if she was stored in the ocean in a capsule like mine! So let me say this again. Give. Her. A. Chance."

Locke and Snow were in awe by his sheer determination in his choice, Snow's being of admiration while Locke's was of offense. Then again, they both knew he was considered one of the top Hunters for a reason. The two garnering a new sense of respect for him, especially after he managed to talk back against Locke. Inwardly, Locke made a note to divulge this to X's superior, Signas.

Plus, knowing X would probably defeat his men much more easily than Splash Woman, he caved in to prevent further incident. "Fine. But you'll be the one with blood on your hands if she attacks. And you _will_ deal with her _yourself_. Men, stand down!"

The group of security guards mumbled as they shouldered the rifles and returned to their initial position before. X rotated his head back from the guards to the capsule, remaining silent. The object started hissing as the door reached its destination, now completely open. In case of her sudden offensive, he kept the saber on and held it tight. Staring deep inside the darkness of the capsule, he spotted a large circular yellow glow emit alongside two orbs of blue.

Inside the capsule, Splash Woman stirred as she began to "wake up", seeing nothing but a black screen full of text containing regular boot info. Immediately after it was finished, she was hit by a pang of bright white light in her ocular sensors. Had she been human, she was sure she would have a massive headache right now. Thankfully however, she was not, and in no time, she adjusted to it. Spotting a blue figure in front of her, her systems attempted searched her databases while many error signs flashed over. However, it was too much as the errors covered her entire hud, then all of them ending as large red text flashed.

 **{ WARNING: LAW OF ROBOTICS MISSING IN CORE SYSTEM FILES. MAIN DIRECTIVE HAS BEEN CORRUPTED. INTRUSIVE FILES HAVE BEEN CORRUPTED. BACKUP PROTOCOL INSTALLED ON 5/29/20XX WILL BE INITIATED. CONTINUE? [Y/N] }**

She sighed and without hesitation, responded immediately to the prompt before her systems failed. _I am forever grateful, Dr. Light_., she thought for a microsecond before the command was input.

 **{ ...Y }**

It was then she was suddenly shut down. X relaxed himself from his battle-ready hunch as he watched the glows then fade again, now nothing but darkness from the capsule once more. He felt rather befuddled at the moment, but also gaining a new sense of belief. Could his words from earlier truly have meaning?

"Why isn't she attacking? Is she too rusted to move?", the Colonel wondered aloud, eyes squinted at X.

"Uh...sir?"

"What is it?", Locke barked his question, as if in matter of urgency.

"She...she shut herself down."

He blinked a couple of times. "You're shitting me."

"I'm not, sir. Look.", he turned the terminal's monitor towards him, tapping the screen with his finger as it was displaying the information directly from Splash Woman that confirmed it.

"Well don't just sit there, make a live log of it! Copy and paste, whatever!"

"Aye, sir."

Though not visible, X was grinning from ear to ear at his realization. His assumptions were right. Dr. Light _did_ plan for this. He couldn't wait to see the look on Locke's face when he was proven wrong.

"Sir, she's rebooting!"

"Give me more specific updates! What's going on?!"

"Sweet mother of...she's _stable_ , sir!"

" _What?!_ "

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

 **[BACKUP PROTOCOL INITIATED. INSTALLING 3 ITEMS…**

 **[1/3] MAIN A.I. "rockvariant" INSTALLED.**

 **[2/3] PROTOTYPE SUB A.I. "bluesupdate" INSTALLED.**

 **[3/3] NEW MAIN DIRECTIVES INSTALLED.**

 **DISPLAYING MAIN DIRECTIVES...**

 **MISSION 1: RENDEZVOUS WITH DLN-X.**

 **MISSION 2: PROTECT & STAY WITH DLN-X. **

**MISSION 3: RESTORE LAWS AND FIND NEW DIRECTIVE BEFORE SAFE PERIOD ENDS.**

 **WARNING: IF THE THREE LAWS OF ROBOTICS CONTINUE TO BE MISSING, THIS LIGHBOT MODEL'S SYSTEMS MAY FRAGMENT, CAUSING INVOLUNTARY VIOLENT TENDENCIES. MAIN A.I. SYSTEMS WILL PREVENT HARMING OF HUMANS UNTIL SAFE PERIOD ENDS.**

 **IF SAFE PERIOD ENDS, WARNING PERIOD BEGINS. INSTALL LAWS IMMEDIATELY BEFORE WARNING PERIOD ENDS OR LIGHTBOT MODEL "DLN-067" WILL FRAGMENT AND GO RAMPANT.**

 **ESTIMATED SAFE PERIOD: 180 DAYS.**

 **ESTIMATED WARNING PERIOD: 14 DAYS.**

 **MESSAGE FOUND. DISPLAYING…**

" **If you see this message, my Robot Master you found must have corrupted files which are essential to its functionality. I have installed backup A.I.'s as a failsafe feature to prevent them causing any incidents which would result in their termination. Included are updated versions of what I installed into my most successful robot I invented, DLN-001 "Rock/Mega Man", and my very first creation, DLN-000 "Blues/Proto Man". Mega Man's will serve as the main A.I. that gives my Robot Masters the basic urge to assist humanity, which will propel them to complete the directives above according to that desire. This will also prevent rampancy or fragmentation due to missing directives and/or the Laws of Robotics for a limited time. Proto Man's revised sub-A.I. model serves to enhance my Robot Masters with a limited range of free thought and higher emotional capabilities to survive in the future with some level of independence. Of course, this is all without giving so much of that free thought that would cause them to go berserk or require extra testing, the latter of which I will reserve for my latest and greatest creation, DLN-X "Mega Man X", an advanced robot capable of feeling, thinking, and making his own decisions without limitations. He will be the closest to human a robot could possibly get! As shown by these directives above, I entrust X with not only the future of the world, but the future of my Robot Masters. I know he will make good decisions that will help them and give them purpose in a new world where I will no longer exist. For those who will read this, I plea that you find X and tell him to give my Robot Masters a chance in the new world. I wish to see them continue to grow as a father should, even if the tides have shifted."**

 **Dr. Thomas Light, 20XX**

 **CONTINUING REBOOT SEQUENCE…]**

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

As the information appeared on screen, the team rapidly typed away to save and rewrite the logs that were being broadcasted from the capsule to their terminals onto disc storage mediums. The team were saying nothing, but they knew X was completely right in his assumption, all of them being in a state of amazement at Dr. Light's foresight. In the meantime, the room sat in nervous silence as anticipation grew over what would happen next.

X, gaining confidence, deactivated and holstered the saber back onto his waist. Staring intently on into the capsule, he waited patiently for her inevitable startup.

Locke stood with hands behind his back and vision focused on the capsule as well, ready at a moment's notice to order his men to protect the team and evacuate the area should X have been wrong.

The loud hums and whirs eventually slowed to a deadly silence which seemed to only grow tensions further among the room. All stood on edge as they nearly in unison leaned forward towards the center of attention.

Once again, Splash Woman turned on to nearly blinded optics which quickly calibrated her apertures so she could see. Her helmet's core glowed a bright neon yellow which pierced through the shady darkness of the capsule interior along with her soft blue irises, a repeat of earlier as well.

She was about to begin scanning her surroundings until she was interjected by sudden forces. Feeling the connectors that kept her suspended in the capsule disconnect from her back, she suddenly flew forward, her voicebox letting out a quick yelp as she fell out of the opening.

When she had expected to fall to the floor flat on her face due to a lack of legs, she found herself instead being immediately caught. The mysterious hands then readjusted from her front torso to her back and tail area just next to her bottom, now being carried in a bridal style.

Her sub A.I. reacting promptly, she was about to mouth off the random whoever that caught her and touched her that way until she froze at what was in her sights.

It was _him_.

A message flashed across her eyes, appearing on her heads up display.

 **[MISSION 1: COMPLETE.]**

She felt her systems heat up in excitement, causing pink cheeks and googly eyes. Already she was out and rebooted, and within not even a minute she managed to find X as per her directive. It was something that managed to surpass her predictions, and one of the few times she was _glad_ it did. Simulated glee filled up her inner circuits, especially at what she sighted.

X was donning a relieved and happy smile on his face, being so glad she was fine and that the worst didn't happen. "Splash Woman, are you ok?"

"Xxxxxx…IiiiIII-I-I-I-I", her speech droned and glitched before smoke came out of her mouth followed by some light but loud pops, causing her to flinch and back away from X's body. She opened her mouth in an attempt to speak, but only silence followed along with smoke and X's face could only convey so much worry at once.

 _How poetic._ , she lamented inwardly, bummed out by the lack of a voice. _Like some sort of child's fairy tale..._

While the tiny explosions of her voice box startled some besides her and X, even eliciting a single rifle being pointed in her direction, it however calmed quickly. She wasn't attacking. She wasn't wildly swinging at X or anyone who dared to come across her path. Nor was she attempting to suicide bomb anyone. _She wasn't attempting to murder anyone in any sort of fashion._

Which left one big question hanging in the air: did she just... _fix herself?_

The pure shock and reverence that came from the researchers, the surrounding crowd, and even Locke himself, was easily felt by X. After all, it's hard not to when all the eyes are pointed on you like a sniper's laser dot sight. Didn't X not know his creator that well? And wasn't Splash Woman's knowledge the whole point of him being here?

But more importantly, especially Locke thought, all these queries lead to one big idea: _was X actually bluffing the whole time?_ He certainly would have had this self-repair not happen. But he couldn't have been so stone-faced if he was, right? If he was, then where did X learn to get such a strong poker face?

All of this was interrupted by a smirking, coy X.

"Told you so."

And that was all X had to say on the matter, as he brought the Robot Master with him to an examination room, led by the team coordinator and a few others who were muttering back and forth with him the whole way.

Meanwhile, Snow hurried along back to his post immediately, his hands caressing his fur collar like no tomorrow as agitated uneasiness coursed through his being intensely. The urge to get out of the room was easily given into.

 _And to think, I would have been at fault._

This was the final inner musing of two separate beings as this happening finally came to a close.

* * *

 **A/N: At last, Splash Woman has arrived! But...will she survive beyond now? And just how will it affect X? Find out next time!**


End file.
